Blanco urges evacuees to be patient

New Orleans evacuees, who have suffered in squalor for a full week, and survivors who are safe and sound but wanting to return to their properties must all be patient, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Saturday.

"There are no fuel supplies, " Blanco said at a press briefing in Baton Rouge, referring to people who fled the city before Katrina and now want to check on their possessions. "You can't buy gasoline at will to get in and out. You may end up stranded on the highway."

As for those who are in the process of evacuating the devastated, ravaged city, Blanco asked for their patience as well in finding temporary shelter.

"We are getting as creative as we possibly can, " Blanco said. "FEMA is working with us. Our deptartment of social services is working furiously to identify more and more places. When buildings fill up, it gets to the point where there is no more room."

Blanco also responded to New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas' earlier criticism that Louisiana was rejecting refugees from the catastrophic hurricane.

"I know the pain Oliver is in, and I know the pain our citizens are in, " Blanco said. "We just have to keep on asking for patience and asking them to endure, even more than they have already endured. These people coming in have been in stress since Monday. It is Saturday. Our heart goes out to them."

"Sending citizens out of state is a temporary thing, to allow us to work with FEMA and stabalize housing, " Blanco said.

Council President Thomas said Louisiana parishes are coldly turning away New Orleans survivors, believing what he called the rumors and myths that they are dangerous would-be criminals and thugs.

Blanco urged Thomas and other critics of the evacuation plan to remember patience.

"These are our people and they're good people, " Blanco said. "It gets very difficult when shelters fill up. We're working hard to identify more shelters.